Sandbag
by Musical Sunrise
Summary: Kiba and his team travel to Suna to help prepare for a wind storm, but Kiba isn't sure about being there because things have been strange between himself and Gaara lately.


**No comments on the title. I didn't know what to call it. I do not own Naruto or the characters used. Enjoy.**

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The weather in the desert was brutal. Hot winds blew hard against their faces, bearing sand that scratched at them like sandpaper. Kiba hated it. The sand, the wind, and the boring landscape. And the ugly plants. The lush forest surrounding Konoha was so much nicer. Sweet, earthy smells of plants and wet dirt abounded back home. Here there was only the smell of dust, which got up his nose and made him sneeze, prompting him to tie a cloth around his mouth and nose to block it out.

He, along with Shino, Hinata, and Kurenai-sensei, had been sent out to Suna to help reenforce their walls against an upcoming sandstorm. Why they needed help, Kiba wasn't sure. Apparently Gaara had specifically asked for them, so how could they refuse the wishes of the Kazekage?

Even if it meant coming out here to this hellhole.

They'd arrived yesterday, but they had yet to see Gaara in person. Temari was looking after them, and said that Gaara really did want to see them. Supposedly, he was insanely busy. Something about a termite problem. Did termites even live in the desert? Huh, maybe some visiting nin had brought them over, either unintentionally or on purpose.

Well, Kiba didn't really mind. He'd rather avoid the red-haired teen for the time being. Sure, he was no longer terrified of him, and even considered him a friend sometimes. Things had just been kind of weird between them lately. How they were weird was hard to explain. Outwardly, nothing had really c hanged. Kiba still mainly talked about food and dogs, and Gaara... barely talked at all, usually. Unless Kiba hit the right button and got him talking about his plans as the Kazekage, but usually Kiba was the one holding up the majority of the conversation. Which he didn't mind at all, most days, though he wanted to know more about what sort of things Gaara thought about.

The team spent most of their time hauling bags filed with -you guessed it!- sand. They and the Suna shinobi and villagers worked hard, stacking them in high piles against the walls, protecting the buildings and the outer walls of the village. The heat was unbearable, but the locals were kind enough to show them various ways to cope with it.

All-in-all, they didn't mind the work. They were used to getting sweaty and dirty, and hard labour was nothing new. Kiba was sure that by the end of it, he would have a bunch of newly built-up muscles to show off. Naruto would be so jealous. As for Shino, he probably would have been happier helping Gaara with the termite problem, but he didn't complain nonetheless. He was another quiet character.

By the time night fell, the had gotten quite a bit accomplished. Hopefully the walls surrounding Suna and all of the houses wouldn't be flattened by the high winds that were to come. None of the villagers seemed to be too concerned, however. As they explained to the Konoha shinobi, wind and dust storms were simply a fact of life for those who lived in the desert.

Weary from the work, but proud of they'd managed to get done, they returned to their rooms to wash up and rest. After that, Kiba said goodbye to his teammates and set about wandering the halls. An inner part of him was hoping that he'd happen to run into Gaara on his wanderings. Another part of him wasn't quite sure he wanted that to happen.

Gaara really had been weird lately. They didn't actually cross paths very often, since they lived in different villages and Gaara was busy with Kazekage work. When they did happen to meet, they always set aside time to talk. And that was all well and good, but a while back Gaara had started behaving strangely. While in the middle of speaking, he'd suddenly stop mid-sentence, tilt his head, and stare into Kiba's eyes with something akin to bewilderment. Being observed in this manner immediately made Kiba nervous, so he'd start chattering about something random, all while Gaara surveyed him with that odd look in his eyes. And that was a little unnerving.

That wasn't the only thing. When Gaara was in Konoha, Kiba always seemed to run into him, more often than he had before. In the past, they'd always been content to simply talk whenever coincidence put them in the same place. Now it felt like Gaara was actually seeking him out to talk. It was an odd concept.

It wasn't just Gaara who was behaving differently. Kiba was finding that how he interacted with the other boy was also changing. On one of those instances when he really got Gaara talking about something he cared about, Kiba found that he couldn't tear his eyes away from the boy in front of him. The way the sun shone through his crimson hair, they way a spark lit up his eyes and a hint of a smile tugged at his mouth as he spoke: Kiba found himself absolutely enthralled by it. Thinking that Gaara was _beautiful _wasn't something that he was used to, and he wondered why the changes were occurring. Maybe they were simply becoming really good friends? That could be it, but Kiba suspected that there was quite a bit more to it than that.

Just then, the sole occupier of his thoughts appeared at the end of the hallway. Kiba felt his eyes widen and his breath catch as his feet slowed down. He was here. He'd really bumped into him. What should he say? He had to decide fast. It didn't look like Gaara had noticed him yet: His eyes told Kiba that the other boy was lost in thought. That meant that he would have to make the first move.

"Hey." He said, the words sounding surprisingly calm and clear for all that they came from a mouth that was suddenly as dry as the desert surrounding them. "Is that problem fixed?"

He saw Gaara start, and those pale green eyes filled with surprise and shot up to meet his. Suddenly, Kiba felt warm all over. Being himself, he decided to ignore it and hope it went away.

"Kiba." Gaara said, typically soft-spoken. A small smile broke across that pale face, and he sped up until he was standing directly in front of Kiba. "Do you mean the thing with the termites?" He asked. So there actually had been a termite problem. Huh. Somehow Kiba had thought that it was simply an excuse to cover up a problem that they didn't want the other village to know about. But Gaara wouldn't lie to him, so that meant that it was true.

"That's what they tell me." He replied with a grin, shoving his hands into his pockets. He felt distinctly happy about being here, talking to Gaara. Suddenly the heat and the dust all seemed worth it.

"Yes. I have fixed that." Gaara said. Suddenly, he did that thing where he tilted his head to the side and stared into Kiba's eyes as though he were examining them closely. "Would you like to go sit by the front windows?" He asked, not looking away.

Immediately made uncomfortable by the sudden increase in attention, Kiba could only nod and mumble "sure" in response. Gaara smiled again, causing Kiba's heart to flip around like pancakes in a frying pan, and led the way.

The view from the windows was nice. They could see a wide expanse of starry sky, as well as the darkened rooftops of the houses that surrounded them. The two boys sat in silence for a minute, simply staring out the window, each lost in their own thoughts.

"This is mine." Gaara said suddenly, breaking the silence and startling Kiba from his thoughts. Noticing Kiba's confused look, he indicated the view in front of them with a sweep of his hand. "All of this is mine. The people, the houses, the animals- all of it is mine, and I have to protect it. That's a Kazekage's job." He looked to Kiba for confirmation, and when Kiba nodded, he continued. """Not everyone understands, but really do want to protect them. I've grown so much, in so many ways. I want to show them that."

His voice trailed off, and they were left in silence once more. Gaara's gaze was far away, looking into something only he could see. Kiba was watching Gaara, awed by the beauty before him and wondering what was going on inside his head. Somewhere inside, he came to a decision.

"Hey... Gaara?" He said, hoping he didn't sound as nervous as he felt. Those pale green eyes turned to him again, and he knew he had Gaara's attention. "Can I kiss you?"

Those green eyes widened, and Kiba knew he had startled him. "Kiss...?" Gaara asked, blinking and seeming to not fully comprehend the question. "Why?"

"Because I want to." He replied simply.

This seemed to confuse Gaara even more, but he nodded. Breaking into a smile, Kiba scooted closer to him on the bench. Gaara''s muscles were tense when Kiba reached out a hand to cup his chin, but he complied and allowed his head to be turned anyway.

With his heart pounding painfully in his chest like a demented drummer on steroids, Kiba leaned in until their mouths met. Gaara made a surprised sound, and Kiba could relate. He hadn't expected the rush of warmth that filled his body at the contact. It was a welcome warmth, though, and he closed his eyes as he leaned in more. Gaara's lips were soft, though slightly chapped from the dry air and wind in Suna. It was a nice kiss.

Kiba pulled away, opening his eyes and smiling at the boy in front of hi. Gaara had that perplexed look on his face again, and it made Kiba want to laugh.

"It's because I love you." He explained, sensing that the redhead was confused. Meeting the startled look, he grinned. "We should probably get away from the windows. The wind's starting to pick up, and I don't want to be riddled with broken glass if they shatter."

Nodding mutely, Gaara stood and followed Kiba away from the windows. He'd have to ask Kankuro and Temari what all of this meant later. For now, he felt happy.


End file.
